The best cities in the world to work from home

Over the past two years of the pandemic, remote workers have been madly sea-changing to places like Byron Bay and the Mornington Peninsula. But what about looking further afield?

The best destinations in the world to work remotely have been ranked, and Lisbon in Portugal tops the list.

It’s followed by sunny Miami in Florida, then Dubai, the Algarve region in southern Portugal and Barbados in the Caribbean, research by real estate firm Savills found.

The Savills Executive Nomad Index ranked cities by amenities that suit long-term remote workers such as internet speed, quality of life, climate, air travel connections and prime residential rents.

“The modern executive nomad – a distant cousin of the freelance creative working from a café in Bali or Costa Rica – owns a villa in the Algarve or a condo in Miami, attends Zoom calls from an airy home office and hops on a flight back to London, New York, or Geneva for the quarterly board meeting,” Savills director of world research Paul Tostevin wrote.

“As the workplace has evolved to a new, more flexible model, executive nomads are turning what were previously holiday-homes markets into year-round ones.”

The cities on the list have either a digital nomad visa program or are part of an economic bloc that allows free movement of workers, such as in Europe, Savills noted.

So, how far does a modest home-hunting budget, or an ample one, stretch in the top cities for remote workers?

Lisbon

With three bedrooms, this apartment in a gated community in Lisbon offers space for a couple to have one home office each. At least, that’s how it appears in the listing photos.

It’s asking €800,000 ($1.21 million) and promises a quiet neighbourhood close to the city centre, three bathrooms, two car spaces and access to shops and transport.

If money is no object, there’s a six-bedroom house for sale for €12,000,000 ($18.2 million) with views over the sea, gym, sauna, Turkish bath, garden and indoor and outdoor swimming pools.

It’s in Cascais, half an hour or so along the coast from central Lisbon, but for someone working from home, who’s counting?

Miami

Florida was once known as a retiree destination, but Miami is carving out a niche as the new home of cryptocurrency – and technology is an ideal industry for working from home.

There’s a raft of apartment towers along the waterfront, so many of the two-bedders that can be had for sub-$US700,000 ($1 million) have views of other apartment towers.

For $US970,000 ($1.39 million), this two-bed, two-bath apartment on the 44th floor has a view of the water and pools and spas on offer in the building.

Or for a bigger budget, this four-bedroom apartment offers sweeping views from double-height floor-to-ceiling glass windows, with a desk perched on the upper level.

It’s asking $US7.549 million ($10.8 million), but imagine how inspired you’d be during the next Zoom meeting.

Dubai

Dubai ranks highly on the list thanks to its excellent air connectivity, allowing executives to work remotely from the largest city in the UAE and then fly internationally for their next board meeting.

This two-bedroom apartment in the Dubai Marina district offers easy access to nearby shopping, restaurants, salons, an outdoor cinema and views of the luxury yachts, priced at 2,650,000 AED ($1.03 million).

Or consider the outlook on offer from this four-bedroom penthouse apartment with a maid’s room, plus floor-to-ceiling glass, a private elevator and access to a swimming pool.

It’s asking 12,450,000 AED ($4.86 million).

Algarve

The Algarve region in southern Portugal also ranked highly, offering the same temperate climate and well-connected international airport as Lisbon.

For a true remote worker, the house-hunting budget will stretch here.

Consider this six-bedroom villa set on an oversized block of 10,300 square metres, with four bathrooms, two kitchens, a pool, barbecue, solar panel-powered hot water, charming terraces and views over the countryside.

It’s yours for €890,000 ($1.35 million). Keep in mind that the median house price in Byron Bay now is $2.45 million, and in Portsea it’s $3.78 million.

Barbados

Warm weather and good flight connections also boost Barbados in the rankings, and surely the lifestyle on offer would be a relaxing change of pace.

This three-bedroom-plus-study townhouse is set in the gated community of Port St Charles, on the island’s west coast, about half an hour’s drive out of Bridgetown.

With a plunge pool, al fresco dining area and dock with a 50 feet berth, admittedly it might be hard to focus on the remote working.

The price guide is $US1.25 million ($1.8 million).